Breaking Smartphone News

Well, today was quite a day for updates, rumors and the like in the world of Smartphones.

Treo users on Cingular’s Network can now experience the long awaited Blackberry Connect software. Motorola Q owners get a new update that also allows for push email and other features and the Sprint Treo 700 wx might get an official release as soon as today. Read on for more details: Let’s start with my new favorite Smartphone – the Motorola Q. Rumors have been on the web for some time about a significant new update. In fact, Motorola even released it for a day – and then pulled it. Savvy Q users still had access to the link and updated anyway.

Motorola officially just released this significant software update for the Verizon Wireless Motorola Q. The most significant addition is support for Microsoft’s push email system. Other improvements in this ROM update include support for Dial-Up Networking (DUN). Of course, you will have to fork over more green to Verizon – but the Q can now be used as a modem for your notebook PC.

Support for frames is being added to the Q’s web browser, and SMS-to-Email functionality is also part of the update. One frustration users complained of was that Bluetooth could not be used if the device was in ‘flight mode’ which essentially turns off the phone – but allows the user to use the PDA. Now, users can listen to wireless headsets on airplanes.

Windows Mobile Messaging and Security Feature Pack is a large part of the ROM update being released by Motorola. This, together with Microsoft Exchange 2003 (SP2), includes Direct Push Technology, global address book lookup, and enhanced mobile device management and security. All in all, this is a significant update.

Finally, Treo users can access the Blackberry Enterprise Server, including ‘push’ email, wireless calendar sync, remote address lookup, and over-the-air device management, and security. That is, if you are a Cingular Treo user.

Yesterday, Cingular Wireless became the first large wireless carrier in the U.S. to offer the BlackBerry Connect service to its customers. Other carriers are expected to follow suit in the coming months.

Pricing and Availability

If you bought your Treo 650 from Cingular after June 3, you will receive the application for free. The Palm web site indicates that others will have to pay for the BlackBerry Connect software. In order to use this, you will need to buy a BlackBerry Connect data plan from Cingular, starting at $45 per month, replacing your existing data plans. The client application can be downloaded from Palm’s web store.

More information on the BlackBerry Connect service is available on Palm’s Business-to-Business web site.

A Free Webinar on BlackBerry Connect

Palm, Cingular Wireless and Research in Motion will host a joint webinar for BlackBerry Connect users on Thursday, September 7, at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. To register for this free online instructional seminar, visit Palm’s web site. http://web.palm.com/software/bbc.jhtml

Treo 700 WX coming to Sprint as soon as Today!

Very legitimate looking documents at www.gadgetsonthego.net give a complete description of the Treo 700wx. Now, this information isn’t really groundbreaking, as previous rumors and leaks have revealed all the details of this model some time ago. In fact you can even see a video of the new Treo (which Palm refuses to aknowledge) by going here: http://shadowmite.com/blog/index.php

Treo 700wx

Sprint’s Treo 700wx will look very much like Verizon Wireless’ Treo 700w. This means it will have a 240-by-240-pixel touchscreen (too bad) above a QWERTY keyboard. It will run Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC on a 312 MHz processor.

Sprint’s version of this smartphone will boast an increase in the amount of RAM. The 700wx will have over 57 MB of space for holding currently running applications, while the 700w has about 25 MB. Both devices have SD card slots.

This CDMA phone will support Sprint’s EV-DO network and include Bluetooth 1.2. The Treo 700wx is expected to cost $650, but it will be $150 less with a 2-year contract.